Never an Absolution
by SparklyTree3876
Summary: Set during X1. Ororo stared at the moon and stars as she sat on the windowsill. She couldn't stop thinking about the Liberty Island incident and didn't know what would come of it. This is a glimpse into her thoughts in regards to that fateful night.


Never an Absolution  
By SparklyTree3876

Rating: PG

Genre: General

Pairing: Logan/Marie (implied)

Author's Notes: Hi, everyone. Here's an X-Men movieverse one shot focusing on Ororo's thoughts about the Liberty Island incident. It was written because there were few fics centering on the Liberty Island incident that took place in X1. I thought I'd be interesting to show Ororo's thoughts on the situation afterward. I hope you enjoy it. Constructive criticism is welcome.

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I stare at the moon and stars as I sit on my window's windowsill with my knees against my chest, and my arms lay on top of them. The moon seems larger than usual tonight, and I can see a few clouds surrounding it. Stars dot the night sky, some shining brighter than the others were. If there's one thing I know about stars, it's no one can count them all because there are so many. Still, they are very beautiful, and it's this kind of beauty I cherish in hard times, especially now.

Four nights ago, my teammates and I went with our new recruit, Logan, to rescue Marie from the clutches of Magneto, who had planned to use her to power his mutation machine. We were successful, but Logan ended up in bad shape because he had to allow Marie to drain him of his healing ability to save her life. He is healing in the infirmary right now. From what I learned, the machine's radiation had no effect on mutants, but it killed ordinary humans by forcefully putting the mutant gene into their bodies, causing them to mutate rapidly. Senator Kelly died soon after he came to us for help.

I was with the senator when he died, and it scared me to see him suffering. I'd never felt so helpless in my life. He told me he didn't want to be alone and asked me if I hated normal people. I simply replied that sometimes I did, mostly because I was afraid of them. He seemed to understand my feelings. Just before he died, he told me that there was now one less person for me to fear. I found it in my heart to forgive him for his hostility toward mutants.

Right now, I can't stop thinking about the Liberty Island incident. I can't believe how millions of people nearly died because of Magneto's hostility toward them. I understand it very well. He lost his entire family to the Nazis, and he didn't want the same thing to happen to mutants. He was determined to preserve them in any way he could, even using force. Charles's desire to seek peace between the races clashed with his views, and it formed a rift in their friendship. In turn, Magneto left everything he held dear behind. Hate is a terrible thing. When people allow it to consume them, they find themselves unable to escape it and turn into shadows of who they used to be. It's human nature to fear what we don't understand, but we can't allow that to control us. If we do, it turns into hate and a desire to destroy.

What's scary is I don't even know what will come of the Liberty Island incident. So many questions are running through my mind. Will humans become even more hostile toward mutants? Will anti-mutant protests increase in number? Will there be violent attacks against mutants? All this uncertainty scares me to no end, and I don't know when it will end. Uncertainty in any situation can make you tense. You can't breathe. You can't move. You can't think about anything, except the uncertainty of the situation that is laid out before you. All you can do is deal with it the best way you can.

I remember how quiet the trip to Liberty Island was. Logan felt tense during the entire trip. I could see how determined he was to help Marie. I believe they've found a kindred spirit in each other. Marie ran away from home because she was scared of hurting people. She found comfort in Logan, and he helped her to see other people were going through the same thing. He knows what it's like to feel alone in the world, and it can be a very scary feeling.

I can never forget the intense battle between the Brotherhood and us. My adrenaline ran high during my confrontation with Toad. In fact, it was the highest it had been a long time. It made me determined to fight back at Toad. A lot was going through my mind when he tossed me around like a ragdoll. I kept wondering if I would be able to get back to the others, so we could save Marie. In fact, I was scared we wouldn't get to her in time. I felt relieved when I sent Toad flying away with a gust of wind, allowing me to regroup with the others.

I'll never forget the look in Magneto's eyes when Jean told him Senator Kelly was dead, and I told him all those people on Liberty Island were about to die at his hand after he trapped us. He didn't believe us. Moreover, his eyes were cold and remorseless in what he was about to do. That chilled me to the bone, and it made me very angry too. He didn't care he was about to kill Marie just so he could turn all those people into mutants. I felt a great deal of pain when I heard her cries for help. I couldn't even use my lightning to get rid of Magneto because copper conducted electricity, and we would've all been killed. I even felt a tear fall down my cheek. Still, I stayed strong for Marie because that was she needed. If I didn't, it would've sealed her fate, and I couldn't let that happen.

The scariest part of the confrontation was when Sabertooth made his way back inside after fighting Logan and approached me, telling me I owed him a scream. He had such an evil look in his eyes, and it scared me even more than the remorseless look in Magneto's eyes. I didn't even know what he was about to do. It's all right to feel fear, but you can't let it control you. If you do, it can cause you to make rash decisions and put others in danger. I was relieved Logan got back inside in time for us to get rid of Sabertooth, so we could get outside.

I remember feeling very nervous as I watched Logan try to get to Marie after Jean and I used our powers to get him to the torch. I wasn't sure if he was going to make it or not. In an intense situation like that, you don't know if you're going to succeed in your appointed task, and that's just as scary as not knowing what could happen in the aftermath of something as big as Liberty Island battle. I was relieved Scott was able to get Magneto out of the way with an optic blast, allowing Logan to destroy the machine and help Marie.

The flight back to the mansion was filled with uncertainty. Marie kept looking toward the back, where Jean kept a close watch over Logan. She looked really scared for him, and I could see she cared deeply for him. Despite some tension between us during the first few days, I've grown to care about him. He can be gruff and grumpy, but he has a gentle, caring side. He did volunteer to free Marie from the machine. When you care about someone, you'll do what you can to make sure they are safe, even if it means putting your life on the line.

I went to visit Logan in the infirmary a few hours ago, and I told him to keep fighting and come back to us. In my heart, I wished I could do something for him, but I couldn't. It was like the situation with Senator Kelly all over again. Marie has visited Logan several times. She stayed with him for a few hours during one visit. When I visited earlier, Jean told me that Marie seemed to be quite taken with him. I told her I agree and mentioned I saw how she looked at him that day in my class. Her eyes seemed to be fixed on his, and nothing else seemed to matter to her. It didn't last long, and she went back to her studies. I wonder if her crush on him was more than just that.

I get up from my spot on the windowsill and make my way over to my bed. I pull the covers down and slip underneath them. I lay my head on the pillow and shoot one last glance at the moon and stars. I say a little prayer for Logan and hope he will be all right. I hope for the best in regards to the Liberty Island incident. I don't know if peace between humans and mutants will ever be achieved, but I am willing to work toward it.

I do hate the fighting sometimes because innocent people become caught in the crossfire. However, it is necessary because there will always be people who will do whatever it takes to keep peace between mutants and humans from becoming a reality. If I don't succeed, then other people will take up the work. Even one person can change the world. For many changes, good things can come.

THE END


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